Leather

The Leather Subculture typically includes both a style of dress and an
affiliation with BDSM practice. Both the style of
dress and the kinds of BDSM activities characteristic of a community may
differ between gay, lesbian, and straight communities, and between Old
Guard and newer generations of players. While most people who engage in
the leather culture style of dress are also affiliated with BDSM
practice, not all BDSM practitioners wear leather culture apparel.

The leather community has been considered a subset of BDSM culture
rather than a direct descendant of gay culture as a whole, despite the
fact that in years past much of the organized SM community was in fact
homosexual. Today, while some may still use the term strictly in the old
fashioned sense (confusing it with old guard), the "leather community"
or "leather culture" can include all practitioners whether gay, lesbian,
straight, bisexual, or pansexual; and high or low protocol.